NOBCChEPlease join President Talitha Hampton for a town hall as she discusses the NOBCChE strategic plan and how we are progressing on our journey to transform the organization. The virtual town hall will stream live on the NOBCChE YouTube page Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 7:30 p.m. EST to 8:30 p.m. EST.

2011 Winifred Burks-Houck awardee, Dr. Christine Grant of North Carolina State University received the 2015 AAAS Mentor Award for supporting African-American doctorates in chemical engineering. See full AAAS press release here.

The White HouseThe White House recently hosted "Girls and Gigabytes," an event bringing together 150 middle and high school-aged girls from across 15 states for a day of mentoring, panels, and workshops on STEM topics. As part of initiatives surrounding Black History Month, the event aimed to inspire African American girls, and make clear that they have access to educational opportunities and careers in STEM.
After hearing from a panel of African American women in STEM, moderated by comedian and talk show host from The Real, Loni Love, the girls had the chance to experience different aspects of technology. This included workshops on coding, virtual reality, gaming, building and operating robots and more. READ MORE

ForbesNo matter how much expertise a job seeker has, there are eight major mistakes that can be the downfall of an otherwise stellar applicant. Don't let these pitfalls undermine your success.READ MORE

Scientific AmericanFor several years now the popular media has run headlines about "a war on science." Reporters note that federal funding for research is down, campaigns to undermine climate science attract hundreds of millions of dollars and politicians routinely reject findings that are uniformly accepted by scientists. But a panel of scholars last weekend argued for the most part against calling these aversive movements a war, with two historians even scolding scientists who embrace the idea as out of touch with public concerns. READ MORE

Business 2 CommunityIt is hard to imagine that in this day and age, job candidates still have information on their social media profiles that prevent them from being hired. Not surprisingly, 43 percent of companies surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management use social media or an online search to screen job candidates. What is surprising, though, is that 36 percent of employers have rejected job candidates based on what they have found from a basic social media or online search. A whopping 84 percent of employers who do check social media and search have rejected potential employees based on what they found online.
READ MORE

Diverse Zaretta Hammond grew up in a low-income, non-White neighborhood in San Francisco, born to a teen mother who was raising three children by age 22.
Before Hammond began her formal education, her mother visited the school where neighbors typically enrolled their children. She searched for an alternative, fearing the nearby school's scant resources and low quality of instruction.
Hammond's mother used a relative's address on forms so the children would qualify to enroll in a school that she believed would provide a better education. Because the young mother had to commute to her job to support the family, she put her three elementary-age children on public transit five mornings a week, where they rode the bus about two hours one way to reach school.
READ MORE

BustleYour resume is flawless, your cover letter is a work of art, and you're the perfect fit for the position you're applying for. But if you're an introvert, there's one terrifying hurdle standing between you and gainful employment: the job interview. You're not necessarily shy or socially anxious just because you're an introvert (some introverts are, some aren't), but it costs you a lot of energy to meet new people, make small talk and speak off the cuff. Interviews are full of all of these things, as well as many others that make introverts uncomfortable, and the high-stakes nature of the situation — a job is on the line — makes it all twice as stressful.
READ MORE